


Bloody hands

by maqcy



Series: Whumptober 2018 [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Basically, Cuts, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fear, Gen, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Lacerations, Loki is a mess, M/M, Non-Sexual Submission, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, One Shot, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Service Submission, Slavery, Submission, Trauma, Whump, Whumptober, and tony's doing his best, broken glass, subserviance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 22:27:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16168115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maqcy/pseuds/maqcy
Summary: Tony is left with a broken Loki. He isn't sure he has the tools to fix this but he's trying.





	Bloody hands

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 of whumptober here we go... :D

“Sir, Mr Laufeyson has injured himself in the kitchen,” Jarvis’s voice cut through Tony’s work haze and he tensed, wiping his oily hands on his overalls, “The injuries are superficial but he is exhibiting considerable distress, sir.”

Already heading upstairs, Tony made a beeline for the kitchen, “It’s not serious?” he questioned, though he knew already that if the damage was really bad, Jarvis would already have called Bruce, or an ambulance.

“No, sir.”

Tony arrived at the kitchen and pushed the door open, pulling up short when he found Loki on the floor, blood on his hands as he scrabbled to pick up what seemed to be glass shards. There was already a handful of bloody pieces of broken glass on the counter which Loki must have picked up off the floor with his bare hands.

Loki froze rigid when Tony entered with a quiet, “Fuck.” Then Loki fell forwards, seeming to be trying to drop himself down even lower, prostrating himself as a suppliant. Tony surged into motion, “Stop!” he barked and Loki stilled instantly, leaning forwards but with his hands and forearms not yet on the floor. Tony was worried Loki was going to stick his bare arms full of glass if he hadn’t done so already.

Tony came over carefully, sickened by how Loki cringed from him, twitching like he desperately wanted to lower himself, but wouldn’t defy Tony’s order.

“I’m sorry, master,” Loki breathed. Tony restrained himself from sighing. They were back to ‘master’ now? Fuck.

Just over a week ago, Thor had appeared, looking worn and unhappy, and bringing with him a muzzled Loki. The god of mischief hadn’t even glared at Tony, or smirked, and he still had yet to do so. Looking at him now, Tony wasn’t sure how much of Thor’s brother was actually left in the shell of the god, buried under layers upon layers of fear and abuse.

Odin, the fucking bastard, had decided that his son was to be handed over to Midgardian justice, now that he had served whatever fucked up Asgardian “justice” it was that had resulted in this pale shadow of the god. Thor hadn’t offered to tell him and Tony hadn’t asked what had happened; he thought he could guess, at least at the outline of it.

Unusually subdued, Thor had told Tony that it had been his decision to bring Loki here, judging Tony to be the mortal most able to contain Loki. Then he gone quiet, before asking that Tony would not be too harsh on his brother, though Loki had done great ill in Tony’s city, that Loki had suffered greatly as it was.

Tony had refused, had never wished for this even in his darker moments, and yet Thor had pleaded with him to keep Loki to care for him and Tony had given way, partly out of his own selfish desire to learn from Loki (Loki _was_ a god and part of Tony still twitched to ask Loki a thousand and one questions about magic, about the universe, about science, about _everything_ ), and partly because he had already been able to see that something was deeply wrong with Loki, and he didn’t trust the other avengers not to gut whatever was left of the Asgardian, physically or mentally. So, knowing that it was a terrible idea, he had promised Thor that he would guard and protect his brother best as he could. _Fucking awful job of it I’m doing so far_ , Tony thought bitterly.

“Sit up, Loki,” he said now, gently. He snagged a few pieces of paper towel from the side before crouching down. “Open your hands for me?” he said and Loki uncurled his long fingers, revealing blood and glass shards.

This close, Tony could hear Loki’s uneven breathing, his panic evident in the way he was trembling. _One thing at a time_ , Tony thought. “Okay, good job,” he praised carefully. With the paper towel in hand he carefully lifted the loose pieces of glass out of Loki’s palms. There were two noticeable shards he could see that had imbedded themselves in Loki’s skin and he winced. “It is okay if I get those out?” he said, knowing that Loki would agree with whatever he said, but he had to ask anyway.

“Yes, master,” Loki said. His shoulders were hunched, his long hair hanging around his face and Tony resisted the urge to tuck it behind Loki’s ear and instead focused on the task at hand.

“Alright,” Tony said. He put the paper towel of glass shards on the floor and shifted slightly closer to Loki to very lightly take the god’s hand in his. Considering how obviously terrified Loki was, it was testament to his self-control that he did nothing but inhale quietly when Tony touched him. “This is going to sting, cupcake,” Tony said. He smoothed his thumb down the side of Loki’s hand as, as carefully as he could manage, he grasped a small piece of glass, wickedly sharp, and slid it from the heel of Loki’s palm. Loki didn’t make a noise.

Tony got the other piece out of Loki’s other hand and attempted a reassuring smile, “Good job,” he said, knowing that the words probably seemed patronising but he didn’t know how else to attempt to comfort the trembling man. “I’m not going to hurt you, Lokes,” he said, letting go of Loki’s hand. “Remember me saying that? I meant it.”

“Thank you, master,” Loki managed, but he still seemed on the edge of falling into panic.

“Let’s get your hands washed off,” he said. The sight and smell of Loki’s blood was starting to make him feel ill. “Jarvis, get Dum-E to fetch me some band aids.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tony shifted to stand and Loki, graceful despite everything, followed him to his feet. Tony guided him to the sink and they both watched the blood spiral down the plughole as the cold water rinsed Loki’s skin.

“Could this get infected?” Tony asked. “I mean, do you guys even _get_ infections?” His own ignorance irritated him and Loki must have picked up on it because he ducked his head lower.

“I don’t believe there is a risk of infection, master,” Loki said.

“But you’re not certain?” Tony pressed, regretting it when Loki flinched minutely.

“I apologise, master,” he said, his tone soft. There was a brief pause where it seemed like Loki wasn’t sure whether to explain further or not. “I’m not familiar with Midgardian germs, master, I’m sorry,” he said after a moment and Tony nodded.

“No worries,” he said quickly as he turned off the tap, the worst of the blood washed away. “Thanks for telling me,” he added, because it was difficult enough to coax any response out of Loki at all and Tony took it for a win that Loki had explained at least a little.

Dum-E arrived with the band aids and disinfectant wipes. Tony decided it was better to be safe than sorry, what with Loki’s alien biology, and apologised for the sting as he wiped Loki’s cuts. Loki didn’t show any outward indication of discomfort, but only stood blank and obedient as Tony dressed his hands.

Moving away to dispose of the wipes and band aid packets, Tony startled to find Loki on his knees when he turned back. He winced, hoping that there were no glass shards left on the floor that Loki had just knelt on.

“What’re you doing, Loki?” Tony said, though he was pretty sure he knew.

“Awaiting punishment, master,” Loki stated dully. Tony almost asked Loki to stand up, but he’d tried that this past week and a half and he’d found that ordering Loki to stand only tended to make the man nervous, and he would fall back to his knees as soon as it was permitted.

So Tony crouched down by Loki again, ignoring how his knees protested. “Did you drop the glass on purpose?” he asked carefully.

He saw Loki blink and then visibly shudder, “ _No_ , master,” he said. “Please, I would never-”

“So it was an accident?” Tony interrupted, sickened by Loki’s fear. Loki had tried to kill him but Tony still hated this. Loki was a broken man and the longer he was with Tony, the more Tony hated whoever had done this to him.

“Yes, master,” Loki said.

“Loki, I won’t punish you for something you didn’t mean to do,” Tony said, low but firm. He’d already tried promising that he wouldn’t punish Loki at all, for anything, but the man didn’t seem to believe him. Tony told himself to start small. He gestured to Loki’s injured hands, “I think you’ve hurt yourself enough,” Tony said. “I’m not going to hurt you anymore, do you understand?”

“You are generous, master,” Loki said softly, not seeming to believe his luck.

“Can we go back to ‘sir’, Lokes?” Tony tried, knowing he was pushing it, but he could barely stop himself from cringing when he heard ‘master’ falling from Loki’s lips.

Loki tensed, “I’m sorry, mas- sir,” he said.

“Hey,” Tony took Loki’s arm gently. “It’s okay. It was an accident, right? We don’t punish for accidents.”

“Thank you, sir,” Loki said, his voice shaking.

Tony couldn’t stop himself from curling an arm around Loki’s shoulders and drawing him close. Loki tensed before softening, allowing Tony to move him. It was a dangerous power that Tony had, but he was doing his damn best.

“You don’t have to be perfect, Lokes,” Tony said carefully, skirting around the fact that Loki was trying to be a perfect _slave_ out of conditioned fear, and Tony didn’t want one. He closed his eyes briefly as he faced the enormity of what he’d taken on. “I know you’re trying,” Tony said. “I’m not mad at you, ‘kay?”

“Thank you, sir,” Loki said softly. Tony continued to hold him and very slowly, Loki leaned against him until his head was finally resting on Tony’s shoulder and Tony exhaled heavily, wishing that he could fix this, but he didn’t know what had been broken inside Loki, or how, or why. _One thing at a time_ , he reminded himself as he clung to the god in his arms, trying to hold them both together.

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to tell me all your thinky thoughts, the good, bad and sad :D


End file.
